ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
Cabinet approves Exploration and Exploitation of Coal Bed Methane  from areas under Coal Mining Lease allotted to Coal India Limited  and its Subsidiaries
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today gave its approval for issuing a notification amending clause 3 of the notification dated 03.11.2015 issued by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural gas under Section 12 of the Oil Fields  Act, 1948 .
Due to this amendment relaxation is granted under the Petroleum & Natural Gas Rules 1959 , to Coal India Limited  and its subsidiaries for not applying for grant of license/lease under the PNG Rules, 1959 for extraction of Coal Bed Methane  under their Coal Bearing Areas.
Impact:
The decision is in line with the Government’s initiatives of ‘Ease of Doing Business’. It will expedite the exploration and exploitation of CBM, enhance the availability of natural gas and reduce the gap in demand and supply of natural gas. The increased development activities for exploration and exploitation of CBM gas reserves in-and-around the block will generate economic activities which in turn has potential to create employment opportunities in CBM operations and in the industries.
Background:
Government of India has earlier issued a notification on 03.11:2015 granting rights to CIL and its subsidiaries for exploration and exploitation of CBM from all coal bearing areas for which they possess mining lease for coal. Clause 3 of the Notification provides that the "Lessee shall submit application under the P&NG Rules 1959 for grant of Mining Lease  for CBM to MoP&NG along with detailed recommendations of Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Limited ."
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
First consignment of non-basmati rice exports from Paradip port, Odisha flagged off to Vietnam
In a major boost to India’s rice exports potential especially from eastern region, a consignment has been officially flagged off today from the Paradip International Cargo Terminal , Odisha to Vietnam.
This is the first time in the history of Paradip Port, non-basmati rice will be exported. Sarala foods group will ship 20 containers of rice on Tuesday followed by around 500 containers over the next three months from PICT to Vietnam.
A consignment of one of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority ’s member exporter M/s Sarala Food will be shipped to Hai Phong port, Vietnam on Tuesday.
“The rice exports through PICT would hugely boost India’s exports of non-basmati rice to south-east countries while boosting income of at least two lakh farmers from Odisha and adjoining states,” Dr. M Angamuthu, Chairman APEDA, said after inaugurating flagging off ceremony.
Mr. S.S. Nayyar, General Manager, Mrs Vinita Sudhanshu, Deputy-General Manager, APEDA Mr. Vinod Agrawal, Promoter-Founder of Sarala foods group, Mr. B.V. Krisha Rao, President TREA, Mr. Rajiv Kumar, ED, TREA, Rice Exporters, Senior officials including Capt Sudeep Banerjee, Vice President & Terminal Head, PICT, and officials from Directorate of Industries & Export Promotion, Port Officer, PQ official, representative of trade and labour attended the flag off ceremony.
During the April – February period of 2020-21, the shipment of Non-Basmati Rice witnessed an impressive spike. The non-basmati rice exports were Rs 30,277 crore  during April-February, 2021 against Rs 13,030 crore  reported during April-February, 2020 period. The exports of Non-Basmati have witnessed a growth of 132 % in Rupee terms and 122 % Dollar terms.
Non-basmati rice exports to African and Asian countries are undertaken from various ports of India such as Kakinada, Vishakhapatnam, Chennai, Mundra and Krishnapatnam. Paradip will soon emerge as one of the major rice-exporting port of the country, Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA said.
The sharp spike in rice exports especially during a phase where globally the COVID19 pandemic has disrupted supply changes many commodities, has been attributed to the government taking prompt measures to ensure exports of rice while taking all the COVID19 related safety precautions.
“We took several measures in terms of ensuring safety and hygiene because of the operational and health challenges posed by COVID19, while ensuring that rice exports continue uninterrupted,” M Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA has said.
APEDA has promoted rice exports through collaborations with various stakeholders in the value chains. The government had set up the Rice Export Promotion Forum , under the aegis of the APEDA. REPF has representations from rice industry, exporters, officials from APEDA, ministry of commerce and directors of agriculture from major rice producing states including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
Ministry of Steel
MOIL registers spectacular performance in April, 2023
‘Best April’ production and sales achieved
With a production of 1.31 lakh tonnes of Manganese Ore in April, 2023, MOIL has registered Best April production performance since inception, with a significant growth of 26% over April, 2022.
Breaking a multi-year record, sales at 97,838 tonnes for the month has also been best for any April month and 72 percent higher than April, 2022.
Giving utmost thrust to exploration, MOIL achieved core drilling of 7,530 metres in April 2023, which is 3.6 times that of April, 2022. The company has made an ambitious plan of carrying out exploration in brown-field and green-field areas during FY’24.
Production of Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide  has also been best for any April month, higher by 6% than April, 2022. EMD is a 100% import substitution product, used mostly for pharmaceuticals and manufacturing of batteries.
Shri Ajit Kumar Saxena, CMD, congratulated MOIL collective on these achievements and reposed confidence of continuing the growth trajectory in the coming times.
MOIL Limited is a Schedule-A, Miniratna Category-I CPSE under the administrative control of Ministry of Steel, Government of India. MOIL is the largest producer of manganese ore in the country, contributing ~45% of the domestic production. It operates eleven mines in the state of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The company has ambitious vision of more than doubling its production to 3.00 million tonnes by 2030. MOIL is also exploring business opportunities in the State of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhatisgarh and Odisha, besides other areas in the State of Madhya Pradesh.
Ministry of Defence
Minister of State for Defence reviews preparations for Independence Day celebrations
NCC cadets who are engaged in the preparations for the ceremony felicitated with mementos
Minister of State for Defence Shri Ajay Bhatt addressed the NCC cadets who are participating in the 76th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort in New Delhi, on August 11, 2022. These cadets have been chosen from all districts in the country.
Addressing the cadets, Shri Ajay Bhatt said that the warriors who sacrificed their lives for the country will always be a source of inspiration for all of us. He described NCC cadets as the future soldiers who would be a strong pillar for maintaining the unity and integrity of this country. He hoped that some of these cadets will bring the country fame by reaching top positions in different fields.
The Minister of State for Defence said that on Independence Day, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will unfurl the National Flag from the ramparts of the Red Fort and address the nation with his energetic voice. He encouraged the NCC cadets to implement the essence of the Prime Minister’s message in their lives with utmost integrity. He appreciated their enthusiasm and morale and felicitated them with mementos.
The Minister of State for Defence inspected the preparations related to the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort and appreciated the efforts of the NCC cadets, concerned officers and personnel deployed on duty.
Ministry of Labour & Employment
EPFO ensures hassle free service delivery through UMANG during COVID-19 pandemic
The Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance  has been a big hit among Employees' Provident Fund Organisation  subscribers enabling them to utilize services during COVID-19 pandemic from the comfort of their homes in hassle free manner.
Presently a PF member can access 16 different services of EPFO on their mobile phone using UMANG App. For availing these services an active UAN  and a mobile number registered with the EPFO is required. EPFO’s member-centric services on UMANG App got a big thumbs-up from its subscribers during the COVID-19 pandemic period.
On UMANG app a member can raise claim, track claim and know the status of claim raised. During the COVID-19 pandemic period from April to July 2020, a total of 11.27 lakhs claims were filed online through UMANG App. This was a whooping 180% increase compared to pre-Covid 19 period from December 2019 to March 2020, where only 3.97 lakhs claims were submitted through the app. UMANG has enabled members overcome the mobility restriction induced by COVID-19 pandemic in accessing EPFO’s services and thereby reduced the need to physically visit the offices of EPFO.
The most popular service availed by members through UMANG App is View Member Passbook. During the period from August 2019 to July 2020, this service attracted 27.55 crore viewership’s by EPF members through EPFO Member Portal whereas the same facility of view Member Passbook through UMANG App attracted 244.77 crore API hits. The ease of access with a click of a button on their mobile app has seen more members preferring UMANG app over the portal.
To ensure safe and secure delivery of its services at the door steps on its 66 lakh pensioners, EPFO brought the facility of View Pensioner Passbook as well as updation of Jeevan Pramaan Patra on UMANG app. Both the services receive enthusiastic responses from existing pensioners. During the COVID-19 pandemic period from April to July 2020, 18.52 lakhs API hits were received on View Pensioner Passbook service while 29,773 API hits were recorded on updating Jeevan Pramaan Patra service.
Among the other key services UAN Activation registered 21,27,942 API hits while the eKYC services recorded 13,21,07,910 API hits on UMANG App during the period from April to July 2020
With Smartphone penetration rising in India, EPFO has been able to extend access of its services to its members through mobile governance, thereby bridging the digital divide. This has enabled EPFO overcome the challenge posed by COVID-19 restriction in providing social security services to its stakeholders, especially when they needed it the most. In the process, EPFO has become the largest organization on UMANG accounting for more than 90% of the footfall on the app
Ministry of Development of North-East Region
Union MoS for DoNER BL Verma leads mass demonstration of Yoga in Loktak Lake, Manipur on occasion of International Yoga Day
Yoga helps promote a balanced development of the physical, mental, spiritual being, Sh.Verma says.
Union Minister of State for Development of North East Region  BL Verma on Tuesday led a Mass Yoga Demonstration at Loktak Lake in Manipur’s Bishnupur district held as a part of observance of the 8th International Day of Yoga.
Loktak Lake is one of the 75 iconic locations across the country where Mass Yoga Demonstrations were organized under the leadership of 75 Union Ministers. The day was integrated with Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, along with the Yoga Demonstration by the Prime Minister at Mysore.
The Yoga demonstrations were also being held at various educational, social, political, cultural, religious, corporate and other civil society organizations across the country to mark the occasion.
Over 500 people from various walks of live including Yoga practitioners from various parts of the state, students and officials of the Manipur University demonstrated Yoga along with the Union minister on the occasion.
The demonstration held at the Boat Stand, Sendra of Loktak Lake was hosted by Manipur University, Imphal under the sponsorship of the ministry of education, government of India under the theme “Yoga for humanity”.
Besides Union minister BL Verma, Thanga AC MLA T Robindro and VC of Manipur University also took part in the demonstration.
The mass demonstration held at Mysore with Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also demonstrated through virtual mode at the venue in Loktak. During the demonstration, the participants were made aware of the benefits of practicing Yoga by experts.
Yoga helps promote a balanced development of the physical, mental, and spiritual being, said Union minister of state for DoNER BL Verma.
He said that Yoga which was practiced by the Rishis  has now been practiced by people of all walks of life across the globe.
“We must thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing up Yoga to the international level,” he said, while asserting that it was Sh. Narendra Modi who pushed observance of the Yoga day at the international level.
The popularity of Yoga is increasing day by day across the globe after knowing the benefits of the Yoga practice, he asserted.
Since 2015, the International Day of Yoga  has been celebrated worldwide on 21st June every year.
The theme for this year’s Yoga day is “Yoga for Humanity”. The theme portrays how Yoga served humanity in alleviating suffering during Covid Pandemic.
The Prime Minister’s Yoga programme at Mysore is also part of the novel programme ‘Guardian Yoga Ring’ which is a collaborative exercise between 79 countries and United Nations organisations along with Indian Missions abroad to illustrate Yoga's unifying power surpassing national boundaries.
Ministry of Education
Conducting all national level examinations in scheduled languages
The Government has established National Testing Agency  as an autonomous and self-sustained premier testing organization to conduct entrance examinations for higher educational institutions in the Country. NTA has conducted major competitive exams in the following scheduled languages:
- NEET  2021 in Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Tamil ,Telugu, Urdu & Punjabi;
- JEE  2021 in Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Hindi, and Gujarati;
- All India Sainik School Entrance Examination  2021 for Class VI in Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Tamil, Punjabi, Telugu & Urdu.
It has also been decided to conduct Common University Entrance Test  for Central Universities in the above mentioned scheduled languages.
The translation of the Question Papers in NEET  had been done properly, from source to target and target to source, in 12 scheduled languages.
The information was given by the Minister of State for Education, Dr.SubhasSarkar in a written reply in the RajyaSabha today.
Ministry of Finance
More than 200% growth in digital payment volume in last four years since FY 2018-19
For promotion of digital payments, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology  has introduced the Incentive Scheme for promotion of RuPay Debit Cards and low-value BHIM-UPI transactions for the current financial year. This was stated by the Union Minister of State for Finance Dr Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
As a result of the various initiatives taken by the Government, the Minister stated, there has been a paradigm shift in digital transactions in India which is reflected in terms of the increase in the volume of digital transactions over the last four financial years as illustrated below:
|
|
Financial Year
|
|
Volume 
|
|
2018-19
|
|
2326.02
|
|
2019-20
|
|
3400.25
|
|
2020-21
|
|
4374.45
|
|
2021-22
|
|
7197.68
Source: RBI
As observed from the above table, the Minister stated that there has been a growth of more than 200% in digital payment volume during the last four years since 2018-19. Further, as per the data sourced from National Payments Corporation of India , UPI transactions registered in FY 21-22 were 45 billion, showing 8 times growth in last 3 years and 50 times growth in last 4 years. The month-wise data for the UPI transactions registered during the last year i.e 2022 is as under:
|
|
Month
|
|
UPI Transactions Volume 
|
|
Jan-22
|
|
461.715
|
|
Feb-22
|
|
452.749
|
|
Mar-22
|
|
540.565
|
|
Apr-22
|
|
558.305
|
|
May-22
|
|
595.52
|
|
Jun-22
|
|
586.275
|
|
Jul-22
|
|
628.84
|
|
Aug-22
|
|
657.963
|
|
Sep-22
|
|
678.08
|
|
Oct-22
|
|
730.542
|
|
Nov-22
|
|
730.945
|
|
Dec-22
|
|
782.949
|
|
Source-NPCI
The Minister stated that the Scheme provides financial incentive to Banks for promoting point-of-sale  and e-commerce transactions using RuPay Debit Cards and person-to- merchant  transactions of low value  on the BHIM-UPI platform. The Scheme also promotes UPI lite and UPI 123 PAY as economical and user-friendly digital payment solutions. MeitY has allocated Rs. 2,600 crore for the Scheme for FY 2022-23.
The incentive Scheme has promoted digital payments by incentivising Banks to build a robust digital payments ecosystem and to promote RuPay Debit Cards and BHIM-UPI as low-cost digital payments mode across all sectors and segments of population, the Minister stated.
Giving more information, the Minister stated that banks are adopting latest digital technologies to provide their customers with enhanced and hassle-free banking services in a digital mode. Further, promotion of digital payment is one of the priorities of the Government to facilitate hassle free and seamless banking transactions for the people of the country.
Several initiatives have been taken by Government of India, RBI, NPCI and Banks, to promote digital transactions and to create awareness about digital payments in the country. Some of the initiatives are BHIM-UPI, UPI-123, Aadhar Payment Bridge, AePS etc, the Minster stated.
President's Secretariat
President of India’s message on the Eve of World Tuberculosis Day
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, in his message on the eve of World Tuberculosis Day, which is observed every year on March 24, has said:-
“I am happy to learn that World Tuberculosis Day is being observed on 24th March, 2020 to commemorate the anniversary of Dr. Robert Koch’s discovery of the Tuberculosis  bacteria in 1882.
Government of India has committed to eliminate prevalence of TB by 2025, with commensurate resources to rapidly reduce TB incidence prevalence and mortality in India. I appreciate the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for implementing the National Strategic Plan  for Tuberculosis Elimination . The Ministry deserves to be complemented for working tirelessly to improve quality of treatment and to create comprehensive support systems for TB patients.
On this occasion, I appeal to all the stakeholders to come together to reinforce the efforts in "TB Harega Desh Jeetega Campaign" and to ensure that this campaign becomes truly a people's movement”.
Click here to access the Message in Hindi
Ministry of Power
NTPC bags ‘ATD Best Awards 2023’ for 6th consecutive year
NTPC Limited, the country’s largest power generating company has been honoured with 'ATD Best Awards 2023' by the Association for Talent Development , USA.
This is the sixth time that NTPC Limited has won this award for demonstrating enterprise success in the field of talent development.
The foundation of NTPC’s culture has always been to engage employees through creative techniques. The award is testimony to NTPC's contemporary HR practices.
The ATD Best Awards recognises organisations that demonstrate enterprise through talent development. NTPC has been successful in creating an ecosystem, which empowers employees to enhance their skill sets.
The award includes small and large private, public, and not-for-profit organizations from across the globe.
The Association for Talent Development, USA is the world's largest association in the field of talent development and ATD's BEST AWARD is most coveted recognition in Learning and Development.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade  asks businesses and citizens to flag issues faced in starting and running a business
Suggestion campaign to remain live on the Innovate platform of MyGov till 15th October 2022
Government of India is committed to improve Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living across the country. Multitude of reforms have been implemented over the last few years to improve Government’s interface with businesses and citizens.
To further improve Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living, DPIIT is inviting suggestions from businesses and citizens on issues in starting and running a business. Any minor violation under different provisions/sections can be suggested for decriminalization. The aim is to make ‘New India’ a preferred investment destination across the globe and ensure hassle-free service delivery to the ultimate beneficiary. Suggestion campaign is live on Innovate platform of MyGov till 15th October 2022.
Campaign link: https://innovateindia.mygov.in/suggestion-box/
Following are some suggestive broad areas that can be seen to further improve Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living:
● Getting Permissions, Approvals
● Renewal of Certificates, Licenses
● Decriminalization of minor offences
● Filings/Returns
● Inspections/Audits
● Online systems/process
● Maintaining Registers & Records
● Applying for Incentives
● Payment of Incentives
● Procedural/Guidelines related
● Payment mechanism
● Others
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
DBT on Fertilizer Subsidy
Department of Fertilizers has successfully implemented Direct Benefit Transfer system across all States/U.Ts by 1st March 2018. Under the fertilizer DBT system, 100% subsidy on various fertilizer grades is released to the fertilizer companies on the basis of actual sales made to farmers/buyers through Point of Sale  devices installed at each retail shop.
Two extensive & independent evaluation studies were conducted by NITI Aayog appointed agency ‘M/s. Micro Save’. The highlights of the assessment made by Microsave are as under:
- Implementation of DBT System has streamlined the Fertilizer distribution. Retailers and farmers in all districts reported “Nil shortage" of urea owing to neem coating.
- There is improved tracking through mFMS Id i.e Fertilizer companies have on-boarded untraceable retailers and co-operative depots on mFMS system to avoid delay in subsidy payments.
- Overcharging by retailers has reduced as each fertilizer purchase by farmers is supported by a receipt generated through PoS machines indicating both MRP paid by the farmers and the subsidy component paid by the Government on the quantity of fertilizer purchased by the farmers.
- Cross border sale has also reduced e.g across border to Nepal and Bangladesh from Kishanganj.
- The reports meant for relevant Stakeholders are available at https://www.fert.nic.in and www.urvarak.nic.in under Publications/ Reports tab.
The number of buyers under DBT during the last two years is as follows:-
|
|
Year wise buyer count of all fertilizer products
|
|
S.No.
|
|
Year
|
|
No. of Aadhaar Buyer Count
|
|
1.
|
|
FY 2020-21
|
|
4,54,87,885
|
|
2.
|
|
FY 2021-22 
|
|
6,69,80,127
The information was given by the Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Shri Bhagwanth Khuba in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.